Michael Jackson: Leaving Neverland

For the vast majority of Wade Robson's life - from the ages of seven to 30 - he was, he says, forced to speak a lie. Now, he says, "I want to speak the truth as loud as I spoke the lie."

That truth, he claims, is that Michael Jackson, one of the most idolised entertainers of all time, sexually abused him from the age of seven to 14. The lie, he alleges - that Jackson had never sexually assaulted him - was one he previously spoke under oath: he testified in Jackson's defence when the singer faced charges of child molestation, first by Jordan Chandler in 1993 (which was eventually settled out of court for a reported $20m), then in 2005 by Gavin Arvizo (at which Jackson was found not guilty).



But Robson is now speaking what he says is the truth very loudly indeed, in the highly controversial documentary Leaving Neverland, which screens next week on Channel 4. The four-hour film focuses on Robson, now 36, and 41-year-old James Safechuck, who alleges that Jackson also sexually abused him from the age of 10.

It is unflinching - as are both its subjects - in its graphic descriptions of the sexual acts that they claim took place over years, at multiple locations, including Jackson's apartment, 'the Hideout' in Los Angeles, but primarily at his sprawling Neverland Ranch.



In a hotel suite, Robson, a renowned choreographer who has worked with Britney Spears and N*Sync, admits to crying during much of the screening, and for several hours afterwards. "So much of the last six years [since he first went public with his story, speaking on the US television show Today, and filing a lawsuit against the Jackson estate] has been about trying to be heard," he says. "Not about trying to force people to believe anything one way or the other - just to be heard."

Many of their allegations are deeply discomforting to hear. "The sexual acts are shocking to many people, but I lived through them, they are just part of my life," reflects Safechuck, who now works in tech. "It's everything around them - the power, the manipulation, that I find the most horrifying."

The film has inevitably stoked outrage among Jackson's ardent fanbase and been criticised in strident terms by the late singer's family (Jackson died in 2009), who have called it a "public lynching" and released a statement declaring: "We are proud of what Michael Jackson stands for… Michael Jackson was and always will be 100pc innocent of these false allegations."

Indeed, such is their anger that the singer's nephew Taj Jackson is crowdfunding a documentary of his own in defence of his uncle, writing on his funding site, "Once again, we have to defend Michael Jackson's name… I know the unanimous acquittals and the FBI's 10-year investigation (resulting in my Uncle's complete exoneration) should have been enough."

Last weekend, HBO aired Leaving Neverland, a two-part documentary about two men who say that Michael Jackson sexually abused them when they were children. Although the world has known about these and other allegations against Jackson for decades, Leaving Neverland has nevertheless had a powerful impact. Radio stations around the world have stopped playing Jackson’s music, and a Simpsons episode featuring his voice has been pulled from circulation. And now Paris Jackson, Michael’s 20-year-old daughter, has obliquely responded to the controversy on Twitter.



Paris Jackson hasn’t made any official statement about Leaving Neverland. But on Wednesday, she tweeted, “y’all take my life more seriously than i do. calm yo tittaaaaysss,” which some fans took to be a reference to the conversation surrounding the film. “i didn’t mean to offend by expressing that titties should be calm, i know injustices are frustrating and it’s easy to get worked up,” she later added. “but reacting with a calm mind usually is more logical than acting out of rage and also…. it feels better to mellow out. smoke some weed n think about the bigger picture. chillax my dudes.”



When another Twitter user responded, “The bigger picture is your father’s legacy ruined and his name smeared forever but whatever though,” Jackson replied directly. “so….. not love and peace and trying to carry that message out?” she wrote. “tabloids and lies are the bigger picture? i’ll pray for you.” In response to comments from other followers, she added, “they want to tear his name down and stop playing his music but it’s cool like who cares that he died for this…they do that to everyone with a good heart and tries to make a dfference but do you really think that it’s possible to tear his name down ? like do you truly believe they stand a chance ? relax and have peace.” Find her tweets below.